Ubisoft’s legal team has countered a class-action suit regarding the closure of The Crew by asserting that it was evident from the start that players did not possess ownership rights to the game, and they are seeking to have the case dismissed entirely.
The lawsuit was initiated as a class action in November 2024, and Ubisoft responded in February 2025; however, this information has only recently become known to the general public, thanks to Polygon . The full response In the analysis conducted by Ubisoft’s lawyer, Steven A. Marenberg, he scrutinizes each claim put forth by the plaintiffs, Matthew Cassell and Alan Liu. However, the prevailing argument centers around the fact that The Crew’s packaging explicitly stated two key points: first, that the game necessitated an active internet connection; and second, that Ubisoft reserved the right to withdraw access to certain online features with a 30-day warning at their sole discretion.
Marenberg contends that after purchasing the games, the plaintiffs had access to The Crew for several years until Ubisoft chose to close down the servers of this decade-old title in late 2023. According to him, since the plaintiffs benefited from their purchase during those years, they have no grounds to claim deception just because Ubisoft didn’t develop an offline mode for the discontinued game at that time.
The report from Polygon indicates that the plaintiffs submitted an updated complaint on March 18th. This new document asserts that an activation key provided with the physical edition of the game, valid until 2099, suggests that the entire product should stay functional up to that point. Additionally, it claims that The Crew’s virtual money can be likened to selling gift cards, which cannot legally expire according to California state laws, where the legal action has been initiated.
Ultimately, whether either side of the debate holds up will be determined by a judicial ruling. If Ubisoft gets its wish, the case might be thrown out before reaching a trial stage. Marenberg asserts that the plaintiffs' frustration over their inability to obtain an outdated, defunct video game does not provide enough grounds for pursuing what could become a collective lawsuit.
It's important to clearly state that this case has no connection to the previous one. continuing Stop Killing Games initiative , a broader consumer rights effort inspired by The Crew's shutdown. That group is attempting to create laws that would force publishers to patch otherwise online-only games so that end users could continue playing them after they're no longer being supported, whether through offline modes or support for custom servers. The movement has This motivated Ubisoft to introduce offline modes in The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. , but not the long-gone original that started all this commotion in the beginning.
Publishers are utterly frightened that "preserved video games might be utilized for entertainment purposes," leading the U.S. Copyright Office to reject a significant initiative aimed at game preservation.
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